Shipping Even Higher into the Sun...

[Reply #560 on:]

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[Reply #561 on:]

DXC mentioned that guy/girl who liked walked and talked backwards and it turned out to be Fry and Leela's son/daughter coming back through time, then he went on to say something like "If we actually do that plot erase your memories and forget I told you that."

[Reply #562 on:]

I wonder how many eyes she would have and what color her hair would be.

[Reply #563 on:]

Two more seasons have been ordered, right? How about a nice prophecy-fulfilling, ship-resolving two or three-parter?

I'd like more ongoing plot arc too, but this might be the best to hope for.

Yes, something on the scale of ITWGY.  Say what you will about the overall movie, seeing the ending, with the three main couples in the series reunited after both internal and external problems (Fry/Leela, Amy/Kif, Hermes/LeBarbara) was a very touching and fitting finale.  I don't think many people are emotionally invested in the Kif/Amy couple and the Hermes/Lebarbara couples, but I was still pretty pleased to see them sort their s**t out that I forgave the fact that they were abandoning their son. 

[Reply #564 on:]

I wonder how many eyes she would have and what color her hair would be.

With his/her mother a mutant and his/her father a guy who is his own grandfather...well..the outcome should certainly be very "interesting"

Well..as you brought up that triple reunion, the previous story raised one question for me:

What would the Feministas have done with their prisoners as long as there was a chance of that star being destroyed? They didn't know the Encyclopod would hatch. So they had to assume a normal star life expectancy, in which the "agressors" would have to be kept out of the game. (According to the Feministas knowledge by that time, the star could always have been destroyed later, after all).
So, unless for Zapp's interference and Bender' betrayal, that would have been "let the prisoners rot in that cage/some improvised cell till the end of their lives"?
Not quite improbable...
And Hermes and Fry would want any of them back who showed to a certain degree a potential willingness to imprison them for the rest of their lives ?

(Come to think of it, that question would probably have fitted better in the "Weird Scenes" category, but..well..so what?)

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[Reply #566 on:]

I wonder how many eyes she would have

As long as it's less than five.

Anyways, I have always really liked that plot idea and hope something comes of it at some point in time. I understand the immense difficulties in having a character who speaks backwards, but we've also got the Professor, and wouldn't inventing a speech-flipper not be very hard at all? Computers today can reverse sound in no time.

[Reply #567 on:]

Nominations for the PEELie Ontopic Awards are now open, and will remain open during November. Click the link to go to the thread! Categories include Biggest Shipper, Most Addicted to Merchandise, and Most Prolific Poster!

[Reply #568 on:]

Can there be an award for the person who cares the least about receiving silly forum awards? If so, I couldn't give a crap if you gave it to me.

[Reply #569 on:]

Can there be an award for the person who cares the least about receiving silly forum awards? If so, I couldn't give a crap if you gave it to me.

QUOTE OF THE DAY!!! 

[Reply #570 on:]

Can there be an award for the person who cares the least about receiving silly forum awards? If so, I couldn't give a crap if you gave it to me.

QUOTE OF THE DAY!!! 

For serious? I... I'm so happy!

[Reply #571 on:]

So much for not giving a crap. Is there an award for Biggest Hypocrite?

Nah, just kidding, you're all right.

[Reply #572 on:]

Nah, just kidding, you're all right.

What's with everyone acting like Flexo lately...

[Reply #573 on:]

Why are you complaining, Danny?  Are you somehow against Flexo and thinks he is a dick?  What sort of asshole do you think you are?

I'm just joshing with you, you're a wonderful man.

[Reply #574 on:]

I wonder how many eyes she would have

As long as it's less than five.

Anyways, I have always really liked that plot idea and hope something comes of it at some point in time. I understand the immense difficulties in having a character who speaks backwards, but we've also got the Professor, and wouldn't inventing a speech-flipper not be very hard at all? Computers today can reverse sound in no time.

I'm sure Bender could reverse the speech for them without the Professor, to.

But yeah, whilst I love the idea of this episode, I'm less bothered about seeing it happen now because the backwards time-traveller being their child was the big twist... and now that I know that... well... it'd take away from it, somewhat.

[Reply #575 on:]

The Biggest Shipper for 2011 PEELie is currently being voted on. Click the link and vote to make your voice heard.

It's pretty under-represented right now.

[Reply #576 on:]

If I draw horrible pictures of Mom and Amy making love in MS paint, will that help me win best shipper?

[Reply #577 on:]

It might. It really might. It certainly couldn't hurt.

[Reply #578 on:]

I wouldn't be surprised if it's already been done.  Forgive me if I decline to search for any possible evidence...

[Reply #579 on:]

I'm sure it has been done. I don't know about Best Shipper, but it might help you win some sort of impromptu Most Disturbing PEELie...

[Reply #580 on:]

This PEELie needs voters. How many shippers are there yet to vote?

[Reply #581 on:]

I already have some pictures of Mom and Amy making out on my harddrive.  It's not like it's that far fetched to have the two hottest characters on the show tribbing hardcore on your desktop.

[Reply #582 on:]

The Crushinator and Edna... Hm...

[Reply #583 on:]

I made Crushinator having a 3 way with Heather and Glab.

Turns out, sometimes it is necessary and wise to be naked.

[Reply #584 on:]

Turns out, sometimes it is necessary and wise to be naked.

Hey, whatever helps with your artistic creativity.  "I'm not here to judge".

[Reply #585 on:]

(I wrote the bulk of this post a while back. Like October 28th 2011 to be precise. I eventually got too busy and lazy to do much editing to the original as I originally wanted to, and now just decided to post it.)

DXC mentioned that guy/girl who liked walked and talked backwards and it turned out to be Fry and Leela's son/daughter coming back through time, then he went on to say something like "If we actually do that plot erase your memories and forget I told you that."

He said the character was a "he". Therefore, son.

I always thought it would make the most sense that if Fry and Leela were to have a son, he would have two eyes and purple hair (maybe sideburns, Morris has sideburns). It would be best plot-wise to have a daughter with one eye and red hair. Girls are already generally insecure, so one pretty-significant physical defect i.e. one eye will create plenty of material.

Anyways, I have always really liked that plot idea and hope something comes of it at some point in time. I understand the immense difficulties in having a character who speaks backwards, but we've also got the Professor, and wouldn't inventing a speech-flipper not be very hard at all? Computers today can reverse sound in no time.

I'm afraid it's not that simple. First off, computers can't process information that they haven't received (that information being what the time-traveler says). They would probably have to first record his reverse speech, then process the sound file and play it backwards. Even then, by the time the crew will understand what the time-traveler has said, the time-traveler wouldn't have even known that he had said anything. Communication would very much be one-sided, even though the information is received, new information cannot be sent back to the original sender.

I wish I knew how to work Microsoft Excel on my Mac so then I can create a ridiculously simple (a.k.a., stupid) line chart showing the 100% negative correlation between the Planet Express's crew's understanding of the time traveler and the time traveler's understanding of the Planet Express crew. Simply put, the lines would make a big "x". The time traveler will probably know the Planet Express crew the best just right before he leaves (this also raises a further question: how is the time-traveler going to come into the story and leave? Just vanish? I'd go with just vanish out of thin air, well, in the understanding of the Planet Express crew, "appear out of thin air".) Likewise, the Planet Express crew will understand the time traveler the most whenever he is just about to depart from their timeline's perspective. The two parties will best understand each other right in the middle of the time-traveler's presence in the Planet Express crew's lives, thus when the two lines of understanding intersect. This really complicates interaction between the two parties, as even if they did manage to communicate on the same channel, whatever is delivered by one party will be understood before it is said but "forgotten" after it has been delivered.

Let me try an example. Let's say that it is further along the timeline where the Planet Express crew has a good understanding (well, decent-ish) of the time-traveler, but the time-traveler, from his perspective, just arrived in the past, and doesn't understand the Planet Express crew (not to add that he may not even know what the heck is going on). The Planet Express crew has made giant cue cards so then the time-traveler can enact whatever is on the cue cards to test his understand of written English. Amy flips over a cue card with the word "JUMP" on it. The time-traveler begins to jump instantaneously as Amy flips over the card and stops a second or two before Amy flips her card back. The time-traveler then goes into a position lying down on the floor, face to the floor. The time-traveler inhales (he technically exhales) air and readys his arms as if to lift his body up. Hermes flips over a cue card with the word "PUSH-UP". The time-traveler begins to perform push-ups, but within a few seconds gets on his knees and pulls himself back up. Hermes is confused, and when the time traveler fully rises he withdraws the cue card from the time-traveler's view. After a quick pause, the time traveler starts clapping his hands gradually and slightlyspeeds up. Bender holds a cue card, but knowing how Bender is, doesn't bother to show what is written on the card to the time-traveler. The time-traveler, still clapping, walks (backwards, of course) behind Bender. The time traveler grins as he gradually stops clapping. Bender sheepishly turns over his cue card (albeit upset that his joke failed) to let the time-traveler read it. Then, Scruffy faces his cue card toward the time traveler with the phrase "BREAKDANCE" on it. The time-traveler then does a breakdance routine in-reverse, signifying the end of the routine (beginning for the crew) with a street pose on his side. Suddenly, the time-traveler begins his routine (to the crew it looks like he just finished), stands somewhat motionless. A puzzled look comes his face as he focuses then loses focus on the cue card, and walks out the door. He rings the doorbell several times, but he does not hear it ring (he does actually hear it ring, but only before he presses the button to ring the doorbell). Then, he just strolls away lost, but determined. The Planet Express crew stands at the doorway, jaws dropped, as they try to understand what the heck just happened.

The above scenario still has a few kinks to work out. One of the largest obstacles that I have run into is how does the laws of physics apply to the time-traveler. In this scenario, the Planet Express crew is holding up cue cards. In my current development of this particular plot, the time-traveler can't communicate via typing or hand-writing. Any attempt for him to input information into a computer would be futile. While the computer would process each key typed on a keyboard, the time-traveler will not be able to see that the computer processed whatever he typed. To add to that, if the time-traveler is much like most computer-savvy young adults, he would probably type out several letters or words, but the computer would process the information backwards (if he were to type "I am from the", it would process as "eht morf ma I", and since he wouldn't be able to see that the computer has processed the few letters (most likely it would appear to him that the letters he is typing are disappearing), he would most likely think the computer or keyboard isn't working right.)

[Reply #586 on:]

That kinda reminds me of the Star Trek: The Next Generation episode where the crew finds a Picard from the future who is totally out of it, but the closer they get  to the point in time where the future Picard is from, the more cohearant he becomes. Not like he's talking backwards or anything...just made me think of it.

[Reply #587 on:]

I kind of liked when I saw the selected Enterprise crewmembers as kids.

[Reply #588 on:]

That episode was good. They all got to interact with Worf's son, Alexander

[Reply #589 on:]

Ohhh, I get it now, Frida, what with the one-sided communication. Yeah, that does pose some significant problems. Still, perhaps that could be worked into the plot... the traveler could communicate with them, but they couldn't communicate anything back, which would be extremely frustrating for Fry and Leela. Then stuff happens.

[Reply #590 on:]

I'm listening to the commentary for "Law & Oracle" right now, and apparently the episode's development began with DXC and Josh Weinstein spending several days working out a story about predicting the future. This became the Fry-and-Leela's-backwards-talking-and-moving-kid episode, which had everything going for it except "comedy." So they decided to do a Minority Report parody instead.

I do find it interesting that a super-duper sci fi concept like that transformed into an episode like L&O. I love the episode, but part of me wishes they had gone with the more epic, backwards-talking idea instead. Oh well.

[Reply #591 on:]

That's made me realise we've had two characters who can see into the future in one season...

[Reply #592 on:]

Interesting to hear that the "backwards-in-time-person" can be made to work at all...maybe they will still produce that episode in a later season.

About the lack of comedy: Growing up without her parents was until now the worst thing for Leela's character. Learning that she had to abandon her own child somehow to a probably not so nice fate (travelling and acting backwards in time doesn't seem too nice) would probably have to be treated as an equal trauma for Leela. Not much humorous aspects to remain...

[Reply #593 on:]

This is true. They would probably try to make that episode follow in the Leela's Homeword and Jurassic Bark vein, which would either be amazing or totally, utterly terrible.

[Reply #594 on:]

You make a good point, Hein. Personally, though, I don't have a problem with the more dramatic, less joke-heavy episodes (of which "Leela's Homeworld" is probably the best example; it is not laugh-out-loud funny by any means, and has a lot of emotional weight to it).

I know Futurama is ultimately a sitcom, but I've always respected the writers' willingness to occasionally skimp on the jokes and emphasize a story's darker elements. So, like, I don't consider a lack of comedy to be a bad thing, necessarily--like spira says, it's all about the execution.

I mean, I trust Josh Weinstein when he says the idea they pitched was unfunny; I guess I just wish they had stuck with it anyway.

[Reply #595 on:]

Personally, I also do not have problems with more serious episodes and also would like to see that one made (alone to see how the heck they gonna make that "backwards-time-person" work )

[Reply #596 on:]

I'm listening to the commentary for "Law & Oracle" right now, and apparently the episode's development began with DXC and Josh Weinstein spending several days working out a story about predicting the future. This became the Fry-and-Leela's-backwards-talking-and-moving-kid episode, which had everything going for it except "comedy." So they decided to do a Minority Report parody instead.

Why didn't I get the DVD for Xmas?

I honestly think that if they tried harder they could've found comedy in the concept. However, the comedy may differentiate a bit or a lot from Futurama's humor. There can be a lot of humor in watching the crew react to watching the backwards time-traveler.

One plausible scene that I came up with is where the time-traveler un-eats a sandwich, to only have either Fry or Zoidberg come along and devour the same sandwich that remains. It would be another bizzare paradox that holds even less logic that Fry being his own grandfather. I'd also imagine that the crew would spy on the backwards time-traveler urinating/relieving his bowels. Sick, yes, but if I had the opportunity to witness such, I'd be taking over the peephole.

One of the large issues with the "physics" of that actual concept that would have to be worked out is how exactly physics work for the backwards time-traveler. If he were to jump, would he fall back down? Is gravity a constant that is always a force no matter when it occurs? Would his urine be sitting in the toilet before he comes in and urinates?

As you can see, there are a lot of jokes that can be derived from everyday, menial actions. While the humor isn't very akin to Futurama per se, it is still somewhat humorous albeit if a little "lame".

Personally, I also do not have problems with more serious episodes and also would like to see that one made (alone to see how the heck they gonna make that "backwards-time-person" work )

We die-hard fans may be accepting of an episode with a serious tone, but the typical fan or a channel-surfer would be very turned off by a anti-comedic cartoon. I believe the Simpsons were going to attempt that (or maybe that have actually done so), but opted against it during the middle of production as it was so out-of-line with the Simpsons. South Park was also planning on producing an episode with no humorous overtones to it (the one where Kenny dies and stays dead for a while), but upon hearing the attempt by the Simpsons, they also opted that the drama wouldn't go over well with the majority of their audience, even if the creators may have found the ideas musing.

Incidentally, I heard this on the commentary for the same South Park episode that I mentioned in my 'speil.

[Reply #597 on:]

Bender + Bev = Ben.

Let the shipping begin.

[Reply #598 on:]

Bender + Bev = Ben.

Let the shipping begin.

Wait...I thought Bender did impregnate a soda machine, and not a ship...

[Reply #599 on:]

Wait...I thought Bender did impregnate a soda machine, and not a ship...

It still is a ship. Just a canon one.